Household apparatus for holding windows open

ABSTRACT

A device for maintaining an openable window in a desired position within a window frame is provided. The device comprises a rod having a top end and a bottom end and a housing having a top end, a bottom end, a front surface, and a rear surface. A first aperture is formed in the to the housing. A second aperture is formed in the bottom end of the housing with the rod slidably receivable into the first aperture, through the housing, and out of the second aperture. A grasping mechanism is secured on the housing for releasably grasping the openable window. An adjusting mechanism selectively adjusts the position of the housing on the rod.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention concerns that of a household apparatus for holdingwindows open, and more particularly, the present invention relates to ahousehold apparatus for holding windows open which is secured to thewindow with an adhesive material.

2. Description of the Prior Art

U.S. Pat. No. 2,766,492, issued to Day, discloses a window sash devicehaving a rack and pinion assembly.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,551,567, issued to Chambers, discloses a window sashdevice having a rack and pinion assembly.

U.S. Pat. No. 556,696, issued to Sands, discloses a sash balance devicecomprised of rectangular tube weights having a plurality of teeth.

SUMMARY

The present invention concerns that of a household apparatus for holdingwindows open. The household apparatus has a steel rod that has capslocated at each end of the steel rod. The household apparatus also has amounting block that can be moved up or down on the steel rod. The bottomedge of the window is mounted on the mounting block, allowing the windowto be mounted at various heights as desired by an individual.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more importantfeatures of a household apparatus for holding windows open that thedetailed description thereof that follows may be better understood andin order that the present contribution to the art may be betterappreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the householdapparatus for holding windows open that will be described hereinafterand which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.

In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of thehousehold apparatus for holding windows open in detail, it is to beunderstood that the household apparatus for holding windows open is notlimited in its application to the details of construction and to thearrangements of the components set forth in the following description orillustrated in the drawings. The household apparatus for holding windowsopen is capable of other embodiments and being practiced and carried outin various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology andterminology employed herein are for the purpose of descriptions andshould not be regarded as limiting.

As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception,upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basisfor the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carryingout the several purposes of the present household apparatus for holdingwindows open. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded asincluding such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not departfrom the spirit and scope of the present invention.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide ahousehold apparatus for holding windows open which has all of theadvantages of the prior art and none of the disadvantages.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a householdapparatus for holding windows open which may be easily and efficientlymanufactured and marketed.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a householdapparatus for holding windows open which is of durable and reliableconstruction.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a householdapparatus for holding windows open which is economically affordable andavailable for relevant market segment of the purchasing public.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention willbecome more readily apparent from the following detailed description ofthe preferred embodiment when considered with the attached drawings andappended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a household apparatus forholding windows open, constructed in accordance with the presentinvention, without the mounting block;

FIG. 2 is a sectional side view illustrating the household apparatus forholding windows open, constructed in accordance with the presentinvention, with the mounting block;

FIG. 3 is a front view illustrating the household apparatus for holdingwindows open, constructed in accordance with the present invention, asit would appear in use with a window closed; and

FIG. 4 is a front view illustrating the household apparatus for holdingwindows open, constructed in accordance with the present invention, asit would appear in use with a window open halfway.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 illustrates a side view of the household apparatus 2, while

FIG. 2 illustrates a sectional side view of the household apparatus 2.Furthermore,

FIG. 3 illustrates a front view of the household apparatus 2 as it wouldappear in use with a window closed, while

FIG. 4 illustrates a front view of the household apparatus 2 as it wouldappear in use with a window open halfway.

The household apparatus 2 comprises a central rod 4 that has two ends, atop end 6 and a bottom end 8. Preferably, the rod 4 is constructed froma steel material having a diameter of one-quarter (¼″) inch, however,constructing the rod 4 from other materials is within the scope of thepresent invention. Attached to each end of the rod 4 is a cap 10 to helpprovide additional friction for the ends of the rod 4 when it is in use.

The central rod 4 of the household apparatus 2 is inserted through alock housing 14 with the lock housing 14 slidable along the central rod4. The lock housing 14 has two ends, a top end 16 and a bottom end 18,and also has two surfaces, a front surface and a rear surface, with thetop end 16 of the lock housing 14 having a hole 20 and a the bottom end18 of the lock housing 14 having a hole 22. The rod 4 is insertedthrough both of these holes, causing the lock housing 14 to, in effect,be mounted on the rod 4.

The lock housing 14 itself has a rear-mounted mounting block 30 attachedto the rear surface of the lock housing 14. In a preferred embodiment,the mounting block 30 has an adhesive material applied thereto forallowing the mounting block 30 to adhere to the window. A liner (notshown) can be applied to the adhesive material that can be removed toexpose the adhesive upon installation.

The mounting block is designed to adhere directly onto the lower cornerof the window glass using the two face adhesive material. The adhesivesurface preferably has dimensions of approximately two (2″) inches bythree (3″) inches which is sufficient for support at least approximatelyfifteen (15 lbs.) pounds.

In another embodiment, the hanger 30 has a bottom-mounted C-channel 32which is used to grasp onto the bottom lip 34 of a window 36.

The lock housing 14 is mostly hollow and has a central spring 40 woundaround the rod within the inside of the lock housing 14, with thecentral spring 40 having two ends, a top end 16 and a bottom end 18. Aholding bar 42 mounted to the lock housing 14 inside the lock housing 14is located approximately halfway in between the top end 16 and thebottom end 18 of the lock housing 14, with a release lever (pivotingtab) 50 extending outward from the front surface of the lock housing 14through groove 60.

The release lever 50 has two ends, a first end and a second end, withthe first end of the release lever 50 being wedged in between thecentral spring 40 and the holding bar 42. The second end of the releaselever 50 is the portion of the release lever 50 that extends outwardfrom the front surface of the lock housing 14 through groove 60. Whenthe lock housing 14 is not being moved up or down, the release lever 50is jammed against both the top of the spring 40 and against the holdingbar 42.

When the lock housing 14 is not being moved up or down, the releaselever 50 is held at such an angle that is prohibits down movement of theentire lock housing 14. However, when the portion of the release lever50 that sticks out of the front surface of the lock housing 14 is movedin a general downward direction, the release lever 50 becomesperpendicular to the rod 4, allowing the entire lock housing 14 andhanger 30 to be moved down by essentially pushing down with the releaselever 50.

Once a desired position is reached, then the individual merely needs tolet go of the release lever 50, causing the release lever 50 to snapback into its angled position. After this occurs, then the lock housing14 and the window will stay in the same position. The lock housing 14 isdesigned to lock only when weight or force is applied in the downposition. Because the weight of the steel rod 4 is greater than theforce of the central spring 40, the locking housing 14 will always movefreely in the up position without the rod 4 lifting off the window sillor having to release the locking tab.

As can be seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, once the apparatus 2 is secured to thewindow, the top end of the rod 4 does not even need to be placed againstanything, as the weight between the bottom end of the rod 4 combinedwith the weight being held by the lock housing 14 and the hanger 30cause the rod 4 to stay in place.

The household apparatus 2 of the present invention is a pivoting tablocking device. The release lever 50 preferably has a length ofapproximately one (1″) inch and a width of approximately three-quarters(¾″) inch, with a one-quarter (¼″) hole, that rests on the spring 40encased in the hollow lock housing 14. The lock housing 14 is preferablyconstructed from a plastic material having a length of approximately twoand one-half (2½″) inches, a width of approximately one (1″) inch, and adepth of approximately one (1″) inch with a hole in the top and bottomhaving a diameter of approximately one-quarter (¼″) inch. The lockhousing 14 is attached vertically to the mounting block 30. The rod 4extends vertically through holes in the lock housing 14, the hole in therelease lever 50, and the spring 40. The combined depth of the lockhousing 14 and the mounting block 30 is approximately two (2″) incheswhich allows the rod 4 to overcome the original window lip (or handle)and sit with the rubber bumper 10 on the window sill. A rubber bumper atthe top of the rod 4 inhibits the combined lock housing 14 and themounting block 30 from sliding off the top of the steel rod 4.

When the window is opened, the release lever 50 pushes down on thespring 40 allowing the rod 4 to stay stationary on the window sill whilethe window is moving up. With the weight of the window, the releaselever 50 pivots up and inhibits the mounting block 30 secured to thewindow from sliding down the rod 4. The release lever 50 is mechanicallylinked through the housing as a release tab to be pressed down with thethumb, while the fingers secure the weight of the window.

The foregoing exemplary descriptions and the illustrative preferredembodiments of the present invention have been explained in the drawingsand described in detail, with varying modifications and alternativeembodiments being taught. While the invention has been so shown,described and illustrated, it should be understood by those skilled inthe art that equivalent changes in form and detail may be made thereinwithout departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention, andthat the scope of the present invention is to be limited only to theclaims except as precluded by the prior art. Moreover, the invention asdisclosed herein, may be suitably practiced in the absence of thespecific elements which are disclosed herein.

1. A household apparatus for holding a window open in combination with awindow, the household apparatus comprising: a rod having a top end and abottom end, a pair of caps comprising a first cap and a second cap, thefirst cap attached to the top end of the rod, the second cap attached tothe bottom end of the rod, a lock housing having a top end and a bottomend, the lock housing also having a front surface and a rear surface, apair of holes comprising a top hole and a bottom hole, the top holebeing located at the top end of the lock housing, the bottom hole beinglocated at the bottom end of the lock housing, wherein the lock housingis mounted on the rod by having the rod inserted through the two holesof the pair of holes, means for adjusting the position of the lockhousing on the rod, a mounting block secured to the lock housing, andsecuring means on the mounting block for securing the mounting block tothe window, wherein the mounting block is hollow, wherein the window hasa bottom lip, and wherein the securing means is a hanger attached to therear surface of the mounting block, the hanger including a C-clip,wherein the lip of the window is inserted into the C-clip on the hanger.2. A household apparatus for holding a window open in combination with awindow according to claim 1 wherein the means for adjusting the positionof the mounting block on the rod further comprises: a central springwound around a portion of the rod that is located within the lockhousing, a holding bar attached to the lock housing within the inside ofthe lock housing, a release lever having a first end and a second end,the first end of the release lever being wedged in between the centralspring and the holding bar, the second end of the release leverextending outward from the front surface of the lock housing, whereinthe release lever is normally in an angled position relative to the rodwhen the lock housing is not being moved up or down, further wherein thesecond end of the release lever is moved downward, the release leverbecomes exactly perpendicular to the rod, permitting down movement ofthe lock housing on the rod.
 3. A household apparatus for holding awindow open in combination with a window according to claim 1 whereinthe securing means is an adhesive material applied to the mountingblock.
 4. A device for maintaining an openable window in a desiredposition within a window frame, the device comprising: a rod having atop end and a bottom end; a housing having a top end, a bottom end, afront surface, and a rear surface; a first aperture formed in thehousing; a second aperture formed in the bottom end of the housing, therod slidably receivable into the first aperture, through the housing,and out of the second aperture; grasping means formed on the housing forreleasably grasping the openable window; and adjusting means forselectively adjusting the position of the housing on the rod, whereinthe grasping means includes a C-clip hanger attached to a mounting blockon the rear surface of the housing.
 5. The device of claim 4 wherein theadjusting means further comprises: a central spring within the housingand slidably wound around a portion of the rod positioned within thehousing; a holding bar attached to the housing within the inside of thehousing; and a release lever having a first end and a second end, thefirst end of the release lever being wedged in between the centralspring and the holding bar, the second end of the release leverextending outward from the front surface of the housing; wherein therelease lever is normally in an angled position relative to the rod whenthe housing is not being moved up or down, further wherein the secondend of the release lever is moved downward, the release lever becomesexactly perpendicular to the rod, permitting up and down movement of thehousing on the rod.
 6. The device of claim 4 and further comprising: apair of caps comprising a first cap and a second cap, the first capattached to the top end of the rod, the second cap attached to thebottom end of the rod.
 7. The device of claim 4 wherein the graspingmeans is an adhesive material securable to the window.
 8. The device ofclaim 4 wherein the lip of the window is inserted into the C-clip on thehanger.
 9. The device of claim 4 wherein the housing is hollow.
 10. Thedevice of claim 4 wherein the housing includes the lock housing and amounting block secured to the lock housing.